The first launch of a Soyuz spacecraft on a new two-orbit flight scheme in which it will orbit Earth two times en route to the ISS, is scheduled for December 2017, a source from the aerospace sector told TASS on Friday.

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Prior to that, the new scheme will be tested on a Progress cargo craft, the source said. The Roscosmos Space Corporation said "the decision on the launch of a Soyuz manned spacecraft will be made only after the flight of a Progress under a shortened scheme has been analyzed".Under the new scheme, the spacecraft will make two circumnavigations of the globe, which will take three hours. Currently, spacecraft get to the ISS after four orbits, the flight taking six hours.

And to add: there will not be three-hour rendezvous of Soyuz MS-07 with ISS, it will be two-day rendezvous, and moving launch date up to December 17 relates to NASA wish not to work in Christmas and means that Soyuz MS-07 will fly to ISS two days instead of six hours.

ONEWhy the reversion from 6-hour rendezvous to 2-day rendezvous? What, if anything, is the connection between the launch date change and the rendezvous operations change? (Well, 2 questions, same subject)

TWOYour information means the TASS source is incorrect. Do you know when the 3-hour rendezvous would be implemented on a Soyuz flight to ISS?

Do you know when the 3-hour rendezvous would be implemented on a Soyuz flight to ISS?

It depends on results of testing new rendezvous scheme by Progress MS-07. The situation is very fluid, even new rendezvous scheme is not yet authorized by Roskosmos for Progress MS-07. So it can be Soyuz MS-08 or it can be Soyuz MS-12.

It depends on results of testing new rendezvous scheme by Progress MS-07. The situation is very fluid, even new rendezvous scheme is not yet authorized by Roskosmos for Progress MS-07. So it can be Soyuz MS-08 or it can be Soyuz MS-12.